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Fennel and Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Are you fond of the cartoon show Popeye? If so, you’re probably already aware that there is a certain vegetable that always makes him powerful. What’s the vegetable, you ask? It is none other than Spinach!

Spinach is one of the vegetables that you should definitely add to your diet. It not only contains a lot of vitamins and minerals, but it is also low on fat and definitely low in Cholesterol.

Wouldn’t it be great if you can enjoy Spinach with a host of other healthy ingredients as well? Well, lucky for you, I will share with you a very unique recipe that makes Spinach one of the Stars of the dish. This dish is called the Fennel and Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

3 slices center-cut bacon

1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 medium bulb)

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 (9-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Cook the Bacon over medium heat until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and make sure to reserve the drippings and any crumbles.

Add the Shrimp to the pan and cook it for 2 minutes on each side.

Mix the bacon and two cups of fennel, grape tomatoes, baby spinach and red onion in a bowl. Then, add the shrimp and Balsamic mixture to the bowl of Spinach mixture and toss well.

Serve and Enjoy!

Why would you want to eat Spinach? Well, other than the aforementioned benefits, it also helps with Diabetes management. As you have probably known by now, Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Spinach helps increase the effects of insulin, therefore lowering your blood sugar levels to the median level.

But, Spinach is not the only star of this dish. There is also the mighty Fennel. The Fennel is not only fragrant, but it also has a ton of health benefits as well. Fennel has been known to reduce blood pressure because of its calcium, magnesium and potassium content.

Furthermore, it also improves bone health because of the Calcium and Vitamin K. Fennel has also been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers such as Colorectal cancer, breast cancer, just to name a few. Why can the Fennel do this? It is because of its Selenium content, which is a known agent that prevents inflammation.

The Fennel and Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Balsamic Vinaigrette is a very flavorful dish with a lot of health benefits. Best of all, you can cook this dish for weeknights if you so desire!

If you want to have a healthy and flavorful dish, this one is a real kicker.